


Pandoran Chaos

by a_borderlands_tale (weaving_a_tale)



Category: Borderlands (Video Games), Tales from the Borderlands - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe shenangians, Continuation of The Pandora Saga, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-18
Updated: 2017-07-19
Packaged: 2018-11-15 19:05:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11237295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/weaving_a_tale/pseuds/a_borderlands_tale
Summary: There are certain inevitabilites in the universe. There will always be Pandora. There will always be Helios, under the regime of Handsome Jack.And somehow, a certain Hyperion stooge and Pandoran scum will always find each other.Even when their roles have been drastically reversed.





	1. Ambitions

_**Let it be stated for the record that Fiona had not intended to ever return to Pandora.** _

She'd seen enough dust and destruction on the planet to last her a century, and the moment she left she made a promise to herself that she wouldn't look back. For both her and her sister's sake.

Her sister had been six and already Pandora had begun to shape her into something that sent a chill down Fiona's eleven year old spine. No child should have it know how to properly load and fire a gun, and no child should be expected to grow up so rapidly.

Her mother had told her the latter, her hands cool as she stroked back Fiona's long brown hair into an intricate braid. Promised her that she would do all she could to make sure that Fiona and Sasha were never in want of anything.

Fiona knew they had been spoiled as children, and she knew she should be grateful for all they had been given. A decent place to live, better food than could ever be found on the dust bowl she used to call home, and the affection of a woman who was almost too good.

But Pandora had left its own impacts on Fiona. Hidden scars that made her suspicious and abundantly cautious, observant enough to know they had traded one set of dangerous circumstances for another.

There was a certain advantage to the latter, though. Least she knew what direction came from.

Or its source in this case.

Sasha had liked him, something that troubled their mother, which in turn set Fiona on edge. Then again, Sasha had not been old enough to understand. Or she had been willing to ignore what was happening around her, because it did not concern her.

And for a moment, Fiona did the same. He had not seemed like an awful man, merely a Hyperion programmer who took interest in a Vault on the surface of Elpis, much like any Vault Hunter on Pandora would. Hell, it almost brought a certain comfort from the familiarity.

Sure, the whole...body double thing had been a little....odd. But Tim was a decent man, and Fiona had liked him. Even if she couldn't call him anything but the name forced upon him by a lowly Hyperion programmer.

But their mother...there was a look of dread in her eyes that she tried to hide. As if she knew already what was to become of Juan Rodrigues, what the Vault would turn him into.

He went to the Vault one man and came back another. His tone sharper and his laugh almost manic, insisting on the cleansing of Pandora. That he had seen the future and it involved the destruction of the planet Fiona and Sasha had once called home.

It set Fiona on edge. Sasha did not seem to care.

After all, she was a Hyperion now. Pandora and its fate were no longer her concern. And Fiona was willing to admit, to a certain degree she was in agreement. There was nothing left to tie her to Pandora, Felix gone as soon as the crisp bills were pressed into his hand. If it was cleansed, it was none of her concern.

Yet the gnawing in her stomach did not abate, only growing in intensity as she grew older. The looks on her mother's face only growing more troubled, her thumb running over a long thin scar on her arm, as if she rubbed it hard enough perhaps she could make this all disappear.

"There's still time to turn back, Jack," she had said once, the quartet around the dinner table.

"I wish there was, babe," he had retorted before he chugged down his beer. Lit a cigarette and disappeared into his office for the rest of the night.

There had been markings on the table that night in the shape of hands, almost as if someone had gripped the edge too tightly.

The dent remained as their mother faded. Growing quieter with each day until she no longer spoke to Jack, barely touched her food. Not that she ever seemed to eat much anyways, her appetite that of a small bird.

Until one day she disappeared for good.

When Sasha had asked, Jack had only shrugged. Told the girls that their mother thought they were old enough to care for themselves, that she had gone down to Pandora to do something important for them all.

He left soon after that, and Fiona supposed that was the moment she began to hate him. When she no longer made the divide between Juan, a guardian who was barely there in the first place, intent on hiding his past for the sake of what he saw as a glittering future.

And began to simply see him as the rest of Hyperion did: Handsome Jack. The legend. The asshole. The tyrant.

Not that Hyperion really thought of him as much of the latter. Practically willing to kiss those awful sneakers and cling to his coat tails in hope of some reward.

But he had left his mark, no matter how much she tried to distance herself. She was still greedy and conniving, pickpocketing on Pandora shifting to conning her co-workers for business deals in a desperate lust for wealth.

It was all she had anymore, escape from Helios nigh to impossible after Jack's imposed restrictions (not that many complained...no one really felt a desire to leave Helios). Her sister becoming as Hyperion as they came, eager to grease the corporate ladder behind her as she climbed up higher and higher.

The pair of them were a genuine menace, though no one seemed to want to challenge them. Fiona had naively thought it was simply that they were intimidating.

It wasn't until Jack had died that she realized it was fear of a man that was no longer an issue. That despite their separation, Hyperion still viewed them as his children. Any threat made against them simply goading Jack to strike back somehow.

Something that they no longer needed to be concerned with.

That was when the Eridium mine deal had fallen apart. Something that had taken Fiona months to cobble together, using every skill she learned on Helios and Pandora to succeed.

And it was given away to someone else who apparently knew more about Pandora than she ever did, was much more experienced and capable than she ever would be.

Her only advantage would be that the man wasn't willing to leave Helios, despite the ban being lifted after Jack's death. Not that it was ever officially stated to have ended, more of people in power willing to look the other direction for their friends to take what they pleased.

It had been Sasha who had suggested they go back to Pandora to close the deal themselves. That nothing was officially in writing yet, and perhaps the higher-ups would reward them for the initiative.

It was....actually frighteningly easy to acquire a vehicle, the dust already swirling around the car before they could really think about what they were doing.

"Where's the mine again?" Sasha asked as they drove, her head resting in her hand, her elbow against the window.

"Aren't you supposed to be the one looking at the map?" Fiona retorted with a smirk. "Considering I'm driving and all..."

Sasha rolled her eyes before she picked up the tablet, tapping on it a few times before the screen flickered and then projected through the small hole at the top.

"Looks like it's about an hour's drive from here," Sasha declared as she zoomed in on the image. "Ooomph."

"What?"

"There's a small settlement near the mines. Doesn't look like it's run by Hyperion anymore," she declared, and Fiona saw out of the corner of her eye the region tinged red. "Hopefully that won't cause problems..."

"There's a settlement?" Fiona asked, her eyebrows raised.

"What? Don't believe me?" Sasha asked, shoving the tablet towards Fiona before the latter waved it off.

"I just...didn't expect anyone to want to live near all that sludge," she declared.

Maybe they didn't have a choice, a small voice in the back of her head declared, though she was somewhat able to brush it off.

Sasha tapped against the ledge of the window, her eyes darting to watch the landscape of endless dust whooshing past.

"Hard to believe we ever used to call this home," Sasha murmured.

Fiona nodded in agreement. To be honest, she's forgotten how...sparse, Pandora was. Course she'd seen from the station the patches of green, but it was hard to believe they even existed witnessing all this brown.

"You remember any of it?"

Fiona's eyebrows rose.

"Of Pandora?"

"You were older than I was when we left," Sasha replied.

"Blocked most of it out," Fiona responded with a casual shrug, schooling her face into a smile that felt too wide on her features.

She wished she didn't remember as much as she did. Perhaps that would have kept her calmer, compared to this tenseness in her shoulders and her mouth, half-expecting a bandit or worse, a Vault Hunter to come springing out of the dust. Ready to tear them apart just for the brand on their clothes.

Fiona stared down at her jacket for a moment before she slipped it off, the air conditioning cool against her bare arms as she carefully placed it on the back seat. There wasn't much she could do about the rest, but at least the jacket that had a glaring "H" on it was off of her.

Sasha mimicked the action, removing her own branding before she tossed it carelessly into the back. Her earrings clattering before they fell to the floor, causing Fiona to give her a small glare.

"What? We can replace them once we get back on Helios," she retorted with a shrug, crossing her arms before she leaned back against the seat. Her heels clattered against the dashboard as she rested them there, proudly sporting a Hyperion design.

Damn. They really should have gone to get something inconspicuous, they practically screamed Hyperion.

Then again, there wasn't much point. They would be on and off Pandora so quickly there was no real reason to get new clothes. Not to mention Helios didn't exactly carry much that was 'Pandoran'.

Sasha nestled the tablet in her lap, watching the map with a certain boredom before she glanced back outside for a change however scant.

Fiona was grateful for the lack of wildlife or people, her shoulders uncoiling slightly as it seemed like they might get lucky.

The display flickered and Sasha banged her hand against the tablet.

"Damn it, must have picked up a dud or something," Sasha grumbled, sitting up as she flipped over the tablet and inspected it. She turned it back over, the display now flickering a bit more violently. "You're shitting me..."

"Perhaps you banging it didn't..." Fiona began before the wheels suddenly seized.

The steering wheel went rigid, barely turning no matter how hard Fiona tried to turn it. The dust surrounded them as they skidded along, clouding their vision as Fiona desperately tried to gain control back of the vehicle.

By this point Sasha had tossed down the tablet, gripping the seat for dear life...though there was a smile on her features. She almost seemed to be enjoying this a little.

Hoped she enjoyed a fiery death because that was all that seemed to be their future at the moment.

Fiona tugged at the door, causing it to open with a hydraulic hiss. She coughed as the dust flooded the car, her eyes closing instinctively as she turned towards her sister.

"We gotta bail Sasha," she called out, perhaps louder than necessary as the sand rushed by her ears. Though her sister didn't respond, Fiona dimly heard an accompanying hiss. "Alright. On the count of three..."

Fiona reached for her seatbelt.

"One..."

She unclipped it, turning her body to face the door.

"Two..."

She tensed her muscles, bracing herself for impact and praying that she wouldn't hit anything on the way out.

"Three..."

She crossed her arms over her chest, her hands curled into fists as she began to lean out of the vehicle.

"Go!" She yelled, tossing herself out of the car as she heard her sister do the same.

The sand caked onto her long brown hair as she rolled, dusting her clothing and seeping into the crevices. Every shard of sand piercing into her exposed flesh as she kept rolling.

A sharp pain went through her side as she went over something hard, her teeth gritted as she let out a hiss, a certain relief flooding her when she thankfully came to a stop.

Her pale green eyes instinctively went to her sister, noting she was quite dirty but otherwise intact, before they traveled towards the car.

Tracks where neatly left in the sand as the car stood there, also fully intact albeit for a few scratches from the sudden sandstorm it had created in its momentum.

"Did we seriously just roll out of a moving car for..." Sasha began in frustration, Fiona sitting up with a groan before the ground rumbled under their feet. The pair glanced towards the car before Sasha ducked down. "Oh shit!"

Fiona only saw the flames before she too went back to the ground, sand nestling in all the places she really didn't want it to be as she felt something whoosh past her frame.

She risked a glance back to see a piece of the car was now a few feet behind her, the red metal dented and half-melted as it sunk into the sand.

Someone let out a sound of frustration and she ducked back down, her cheek against the sand as she motioned for Sasha to do the same.

She knew playing dead would do little to help them, most of the bandits known to defile whatever corpses were not picked apart by Skag and Rakks and whatever other hell-beasts existed on this planet.

But the sound was almost sane, and she prayed that whoever it belonged to would not want to trouble themselves with Hyperions.

"I have it under control, huh?" A woman declared, frustration laced in every syllable.

"To be fair, I was doing fine until the car exploded," the man retorted. Fiona heard someone pick up a piece of the car before they tossed it aside, hitting the piece behind her with a clatter. "Huh. Think this is salvageable?"

"Pretty sure no one's gonna buy a tablet that proudly sports a Hyperion logo Rhys," the woman replied. "Might be able to break it down for parts though..."

The woman sighed.

"Too bad about the car. Might've been able to sell it to Scooter for something," the woman continued.

"Thought you didn't want to near that man after last time...."

"He's a creep, but he's the only mechanic that seems to like us..." the woman retorted.

"Likes you," the man....Reese?...replied with a chuckle. "You see anything else?"

"Besides scraps of clothing that no one will want? Not really," the woman replied, Fiona hearing something tap against the metal. "Crap. Thought we might get something decent this time..."

She risked turning her head, her eyes widening as she took in Sasha slowly standing up. She shook her head, the sand rough against her cheek as she brushed against it. Her sister only held a finger to her lips, sitting upright.

The man hummed in sympathy as Sasha went into a crouch, her heels sinking into the sand. Fiona's heart thudding in her ears as Sasha stood upright, giving a quick glance towards the pair before she took off into a sprint.

Before Fiona could register the movement, the lanky man was upon her sister, an arm of bits and chunks of mismatched metal gripping her arm behind her back as the other looped around her sister's neck. It must have been a trick of the Pandoran sun, because the tattoos on his flesh arm looked like they were pulsating.

Fiona watched her sister yank and pull, the only reward for her efforts as she clawed at his arms the man turning back to his companion with a triumphant grin.

"Think I found us something decent," he declared, marching Sasha back towards the woman.

She had black hair that was cropped short, markings of swirling white in stark contrast to her tanned skin. She inspected Sasha closely with brilliant blue eyes, running over her outfit before they came back to Sasha's face.

"Huh," she huffed out more than spoke, turning to the man with a teasing smile. "Perhaps there is some use to keeping you around."

"Aw shucks, you mean it?" He retorted with the same kind of smile, passing over Sasha to the woman. "Gonna look at the other one, see if I can find anything."

Sasha glanced back at Fiona as the latter met her eyes. Sasha motioned with her head, her eyes pleading with her sister to move, causing the woman to hold Sasha a fraction tighter.

Fiona didn't hesitate, sitting up with a groan before she stood up. The man's eyebrows rose for a second, his eyes of mismatched amber and violet watching her dust herself off before he schooled his features into a neutral expression.

"Don't...hurt her. Please," Fiona pleaded as she held out her hands non-threateningly.

He crossed his arms, long metallic fingers curled around the sleeve of his worn maroon jacket as the other curled around the metal bicep.

"Wasn't planning on it," Rhys retorted, and it was Fiona's turn to look surprised. He turned towards the other woman, gesturing towards Fiona. "What do you think?"

The woman kept her grip tight on Sasha, inspecting Fiona with those unnerving blue eyes before she looked back at Rhys.

"Well...she did say any Hyperion," the woman retorted.

He titled his head slightly, like a Rakk sizing up its dinner, and Fiona practically expected him to lick his chop as his eyes roamed over her outfit.

He looked too pleased for her liking, and if there had been any hesitation about running before, it was long gone now.

She felt as if she had only taken a few strides before she was tackled to the ground, the sand roughly against her cheek as the man pressed a knee into the centre of her back.

"You didn't happen to bring any rope or something?" The man asked above her.

"Thought we were doing highway robbery, not a kidnapping," the woman replied, Fiona turning her head to see her walking towards the car. "Hold on."

She seemed to only stare at the hood of the car before it opened. She transferred Sasha to one hand, using the other to pull out some cords that sparked as they were disconnected.

Despite the situation, Fiona was impressed a woman who Sasha had practically an inch or two on was keeping her reined in. Could barely find someone on Hyperion to do that.

The woman looped the cable around Sasha's wrists, pulling it tightly before she tossed the other cord towards Rhys.

Rhys removed his knee, his grip on Fiona's wrists slackening for a moment as he prepped the cable.

Fiona used the opportunity to flip onto her back, pulling her knee towards her chest before it connected sharply with the man's crotch.

The man looked startled, his eyes widening in pain as Fiona began to scramble away, though he recovered in time to clamp down on her wrists.

He pressed her arms into the sand, chestnut brown hair falling into his eyes as he glared down at her. He tightening his knees around her hips, his violet eye shining brightly.

"Have to give them credit....least they're not spineless," the woman declared, somehow finding something to hook Sasha to the side of the charred vehicle before she approached. "You hold her down, I'll tie her up."

Fiona was roughly turned on her stomach, the cables pulled a fraction too tightly around her wrists before the man pulled her up harshly.

"C'mon. We should make it back before the Rakks come to look for dinner," the woman declared, unhooking Sasha before she pulled out a pistol and pressed it into Sasha's back.

An accompanying gun was pressed into the small of Fiona's back, her mouth set in a thin line.

"You know...if you return us to Hyperion we can give you double of whatever this person is willing to pay you for us," Fiona offered, though the man holding her just scoffed.

"Hyperion doesn't work with bandits, remember?" The man retorted.

He roughly pushed her forward, causing her to stumble.

"And no Pandoran with an ounce of respect takes an offer from Hyperion," Rhys continued, shaking his head.

He didn't elaborate, not that she would have asked anyways. He wasn't really her concern at the moment despite the situation.

The outpost she was certain was only a few miles off that could be used to call for help? That was her top priority.

She just needed to figure out how to get there.

She spat out some of the sand that had made its way into her mouth, grimacing as the quartet walked through the desert, the man behind her chuckling a little at her discomfort.

"Nice to know some things don't change..." he murmured to himself.

 _Let's hope it's the same for Pandora_ , she thought.

She looked towards her sister, grimacing and spitting as they walked along.

_Otherwise we're completely screwed._


	2. Somewhat Decent Plans

The hut wasn't much, but Rhys was content to call it home.

He passed off the woman with pale green eyes to Angel, making sure they were within the perimeter before he unfurled his palm.

The centre lit up with a violet light, the display flickering with a series of sharp crackles causing him to let out a small huff of frustration.

For crap's sake, he swore he'd only repaired this a few days ago....

He navigated through the flickering as best as he could, thankful he could do most of this from memory as he curled his forefinger and thumb towards his palm.

The familiar menu popped up, his middle finger curling as he selected the option.

The air began to crackle before a current of electrical energy surrounded the ramshackle structure. It continued to hum as he turned back to Angel, noting a pair of pale green eyes widening a fraction as she took in the makeshift fence.

He didn't fight back the smirk that settled on his lips, walking past the hostages before he pushed open the front door.

He allowed Angel to set down the hostages as he unclipped his arm, setting it down on the makeshift workstation that also comprised their kitchen table.

He pulled forward the box of tools, clattering together at the movement before he pulled out the thin instruments.

Had to trade a decent Skag as a guard animal for these a few years back. He liked to think he got the better end of the deal.

After all, he had not been the one to be torn apart by said Skag a month later when said man came home plastered on ale with some whore on his arm.

He pulled out his goggles (cost a rather nice Jakobs pistol) and slipped them onto his head.

He slipped them over his eyes as he opened the main panel on his arm, grimacing as he took in the loosened motherboard.

"Where's the rope?"

"Hmm?" He retorted, pulling out a screwdriver.

"The rope," Angel repeated.

"Top drawer," he retorted, his tongue peeking out of his mouth as he fiddled with his arm.

He felt a pair of eyes on him, turning his head slightly.

The woman with pale green eyes was watching him, though it felt more like an inspection.

His tongue retreated back into his mouth as he unscrewed the motherboard.

He heard Angel clomp back into the room, followed by sounds of protest from the hostages that gave way to silence.

He turned his head again, the hostages now firmly bound by their arms and legs.

The loud one was wriggling around, causing Rhys to smile a little in amusement.

It had not seemed to hit her just yet that no matter how loudly she complained or how much she moved, she wasn't getting out of this.

He might have bungled up the carjacking, but he sure as hell wasn't gonna screw up the exchange.

Especially considering the motherboard looked like it was only going to last another month, grimacing as he inspected it.

Guess he was going to have to pay a visit to Pandora's resident techie again. Harmless to a certain degree, but he didn't like being around the Vault Hunters any longer than he really had to.

He fiddled with the piece before he placed it back within his arm. He tested the mobility of the limb, prodding at the panel, pleased with how the fingers curled and then relaxed.

The smile faded, remembering another cybernetic arm. Someone he thought knew the universe better than even the Eridians. The man's arm, warm and comforting around Rhys' thin shoulders as the boy marvelled over the technology.

"....of course there are certain risks to the procedure," the doctor intoned. "Though it may give your son a chance..."

Rhys had not paid that much attention, entranced by how the limb gleamed under the fluorescent lights. His nose practically pressed against the glass of the case as the doctor and his father spoke in low tones.

Though that may have been less the excitement and more to compensate for the dud eye. Most of the world seen through a milky lens while the other saw everything normally.

Not that he minded that much. That was how it had always been for him.

"....investment in an ECHO-eye...."

"How many years?" His father's voice broke through.

"Pardon?"

"How many years would it give him? Best estimate?"

The doctor had fumbled, gripping at his clipboard. Clasping and unclasping as he struggled to find the words.

"Well as I said, the procedure is risky, so there's a chance...." he began.

"That he won't make it through?" His father interrupted.

The doctor glanced at Rhys. Likely taking in the too-thin frame, the eye a milky shade of green. His eyes darting down to the results in his hands about Rhys' coughing and generally shitty health.

_There's a chance he won't make it through regardless_ , the doctor had not said, though his eyes made it apparent.

The child that was never meant to survive, that was Rhys' fate it seemed. Every day a shock that he was still standing and his future more than uncertain.

His father's tanned fingers ran through his son's hair, brushing it back affectionately as he let out a long sigh.

"We...we'll consider it," he finally spoke.

His normally chatty father had fallen silent as they made their way back to their quarters, every glance towards his son carrying a certain weight that made Rhys shift uncomfortably.

A week later his father went to Elpis. Said there was a job there he needed to do for Hyperion.

That was the beginning of the end.

 

"Well?"

Rhys blinked back into reality, turning his head to see Angel watching him expectantly.

"Huh?"

She tapped on his head a few times, the lanky man swerving sharply away as his hand went to his hair instinctively.

"You think we should hand them over to Lilith or not?" She quietly replied with a certain impatience.

He glanced towards the hostages, the loud one focused on trying to wriggle out of her restraints.

He couldn't tell if he admired her persistence or felt pity for it.

The other woman was just watching him, pale green eyes oddly steely. It set him on edge, and he made sure to tilt his head so he would not see her.

"Do we have another option?" Rhys replied, Angel crossing her arms.

"She did say Hyperion would give us double...."

Rhys shot Angel a look so sharp someone else would have stumbled. Familiarity was his disadvantage, however, the woman only cocking an eyebrow.

"I was just suggesting, Rhys....you don't need to get that **look** about it."

"What **look**?" He retorted, turning back towards his arm and fiddling with it.

She leaned against the table, her hip jostling it for a moment.

"Like I'm begging you to go back to Helios," she retorted with a small smile.

It dropped into a frown as she stood up, pushing back Rhys' hair.

Before he could protest she had picked up one of the tools on the table, a sharp pain going through his temple as she worked on his port.

"You have to be more careful," she murmured.

He rolled his eyes, widening as she practically jabbed the port back on.

"What the hell!" He yelled, shifting his head away before he rubbed the side of his head.

  
He heard a feminine snicker from one of the hostages and frowned.

"Oh get over it," Angel retorted, ruffling his hair a little.

He suddenly felt a pair of eyes on him, and sure enough when he looked the older of the women was watching him.

The steely gaze had been replaced by that of interest, as if she was cataloging the interaction into her database.

For all he knew she was. Who knew what Hyperion was shoving into its workers' heads these days.

"Sanctuary," he replied as he shifted away. "It's closer."

Angel frowned to herself, glancing at the hostages before she nodded.

"And the Vault Hunters won't kill us on sight," Angel added.

"You hope," Rhys countered, Angel smiling to herself.

"Offer to do a few odd jobs, they seem to like that," she replied.

"Giving them Hyperions _and_ doing their dirty work?" Rhys retorted. "Don't you think that's spoiling them a little?"

Angel rolled her eyes before she ruffled his hair again, reaching over and picking up her rifle.

"I'll be back in a bit," she declared. "Going to get some food and supplies."

Rhys looked at the rifle and cocked an eyebrow.

"You need a rifle to get supplies?" He asked drily.

"Well, yeah, if you want a good deal on them you do," she retorted.

Rhys chuckled, seeing out of the corner of his eye the two women were now staring at him.

For crap's sake....

"How about you stay with them and I'll get what we need?" He declared, clipping on his arm before he motioned for the rifle.

Angel's eyebrows rose.

"You want to?" She asked in surprise. "Last time you...."

"I'm sure it won't be the same woman as last time," Rhys replied quickly, motioning for the weapon again.

Angel looked skeptical, but she handed him the gun.

"Make sure they don't try to run off," Rhys ordered, Angel smirking a little.

"No, Rhys, I was going to let them skip back to Hyperion once you closed the door," she intoned drily.

He slipped the rifle over his back, checking over his surroundings before he grabbed a canteen of water.

He quickly slipped out the door, feeling a certain weight lift off him as he felt those eyes retreat off his back.

Perhaps Angel was right and the isolation was starting to get to him a little. Made him wary of everyone but her.

Then again, this **was** Pandora. If you didn't have caution, you were already shovelling your own grave.

And everyone knew you couldn't trust Hyperions. Made sense to feel uncomfortable around the hostages.

He shook his head at himself and began to trek into the desert, making sure to disable the electric field before he passed through it.

He re-started it, his boots sinking into the sand as he pulled up a map on his palm interface.

The supply depot was a few miles off, nestled halfway between the hut and Prosperity Junction.

His hummed to himself as he walked, the rifle tapping against his back with every step.

Something roared in the distance, mechanical and growing in volume.

He turned his head in time to see a car speeding towards him, a dust cloud surrounding the vehicle.

He stopped humming, backing up just in time to see the car whizz by him. He coughed on the dust, wheezing as he glared at the expensive vehicle.

It didn't take too long to realize it belonged to one of the gun companies, and he grimaced to himself.

Ever since that tyrant had died Pandora appeared to be turning into a free-for-all.

Some Hyperions came down to loot the planet, of course. But just last week he swore he saw some Tediore workers rummaging around, Jakobs workers only a day later.

He shook his head, tucking his hands into his pockets before he resumed his journey.

 

"We're closed," the woman declared sharply, closing the grate with a thump.

"Ann, c'mon," Rhys protested. "All I need is some supplies, that's it."

"No. Last time you were in here I had to spend a week trying to fix the damages," she retorted angrily.

"To be fair, he started it," Rhys replied. "And sometimes my abilities are a tad...unpredictable..."

"You blew a hole through the wall and gave him third degree burns," the woman retorted. "All because he mentioned he was Hyperion..."

"He didn't...mention it, he..." Rhys began angrily, his markings flickering. He saw Ann's eyes dart towards them and he sighed, taking a few deep breaths. "Look. How about I tell you what I want and you just hand it to me?"

"Nope," Ann replied.

"Ann, please," he begged. His fingers curled into the holes of the chain-linked grate.

"I'm still waiting for that money you owe me too."

He opened his mouth to retort when someone approached, their heels clicking against the stone.

"Excuse me?" The woman asked, brushing past Rhys. "I was wondering if you could tell me where the Eridium Blight is?"

"You want to go about ten miles north and then turn west. Keep going forward and you'll see the slag."

The woman looked startled that Ann had been helpful, brown eyes wide behind a pair of expensive glasses.

In fact, everything about her looked expensive, reeking Hyperion if the clothes were any indication. The car she turned to glance back at only further emphasized it, the man sitting in the car tapping his fingers against the side nervously.

There was the strangest sense of deja vu looking at the pair, though Rhys quickly shook it off, his attentions resumed on the shopkeeper.

"Actually, if you don't mind," the woman continued. "We're looking for some supplies as well. Guns, canteens, that sort of thing?"

Ann's eyes brightened, nodding before she flicked a switch on the wall.

Rhys stumbled back as the grate lifted, watching as the dark-skinned woman sauntered in. Before he could even take a step the grate slammed shut.

"Find somewhere else Rhys," Ann declared sharply.

Rhys' hands curled, taking deep breaths through his nose before his hands relaxed. His smile was saccharine before he turned on his heel.

"You should go to Prosperity Junction. They might not be too friendly towards Hyperions, but at least their stuff doesn't **fail** _within a week_!" Rhys barked out, causing the woman inside to jump slightly before she recovered.

Rhys strode away from the store, fuming as he passed by the car. He felt the man inside watching him cautiously, and he rounded on him.

"What?" He asked sharply, the man jolting before he shook his head.

"N-nothing," the man retorted, his eyes wide behind his glasses and his hands up placatingly. Rhys shook his head. _Snivelling Hyperion scum_.

 

By the time Rhys came back to the hut, he was covered in a fine layer of dust. His leather jacket was stained with blood, his markings still bright from the hunt as he disabled the field around the ramshackle structure.

Angel was waiting outside, her eyes widening as he slammed down the Rakk into the dirt.

"Should be enough for a week. And I think there's a few places we can get water," he declared, opening the door.

"What about the supplies?" Angel asked with a frown, and he laughed bitterly.

"We'll make do with what we have," Rhys replied sharply, closing the door with a sharp bang.

The loud one had passed out from sheer exhaustion, her head hung low as she breathed deeply.

But of course, the other one was wide awake, watching him calmly as he tossed off his jacket.

"What?" He asked, the woman cocking an eyebrow before she spoke.

"Didn't go well I take it?" She asked, and he gritted his teeth.

"It went splendid, actually," he retorted. "How about you? Comfortable?"

"Better than any Hyperion chair I could sit in," she replied evenly, shifting within her restraints before she settled against the wall. "Think I might ask for this when I go back."

"Who says you're going back?" He retorted, expecting fear to flicker across her features.

"Who says I'm not?" She replied calmly, shrugging.

"Well," Rhys retorted, meeting her eyes. "I expect the Vau- people we're taking you to might have something to say about that."

She met his eyes and she actually **grinned**.

"I'll take my chances," she retorted, part of her hair, stained blue falling into her eyes.

He had to admit. The confidence.... was a nice change. Better than the usual pleading and begging for her life.

"Alright, so I was thinking..." Angel began before she stopped. "Rhys?"

He realized there was the smallest of smiles on his face before he recovered.

"Uh huh?" He retorted, turning towards Angel.

Angel glanced at the woman cautiously before she clasped Rhys' arm.

She dragged him outside, making sure to close the door before she spoke.

“We should set out an hour or so before dawn, then we won't have to deal with as many Rakks,” she declared.

Rhys nodded in agreement, glancing at the hut.

“Or Loaderbots,” he replied.

She scoffed a little.

“You really think anyone's coming after them?” she asked skeptically.

“It’s not _them_ I'm worried about,” he retorted as he met her eyes.

She held them for a moment before she spoke.

“She's been gone for a year, Rhys. I think we're in the clear,” she countered.

“Her too.”

Angel sighed, crossing her arms as she looked up at Helios.

“They just lost their noble leader,” Angel replied, Rhys scoffing at the word _noble_ to describe Handsome Jack. “He was the one looking for us, not them. If he had _anything_ , it went down with him.”

Rhys’ gaze lingered on Helios, before he closed his eyes and nodded.

“Sorry, just….” he began before he stopped himself. “You….we should get what supplies we have together. I can try to get us a car….”

“Oh no, not after your last attempt,” Angel interrupted. Rhys pouted causing the younger woman to grin. “Don't worry, **you** can gather the supplies in the meantime.”

She flexed her fingers, her markings flickering to life before they brightly glowed, vibrant and white in the growing darkness.

"You know, to make up for your utter failure to get us any..." she continued with a smirk.

“It wasn't my fault!" He protested, eyeing her tattoos. "And just….be careful. Please? For me?"

Angel only smiled before she scampered off, her markings leaving a trail of white light behind her.

Rhys watched her fade into the distance until she disappeared completely.

He risked a glance up towards the space station currently circling Pandora, the eye of Helios appearing to watch him as it trekked across the night sky.

He suppressed a shudder and went back inside to gather the supplies.

He still felt its glare on his back as he closed the door.

 


	3. Incidents and Deals

Fiona was starting to remember **why** she had been so excited to leave Pandora in the first place.

Every step along the sand only seemed to make her heels sink further into its depths, and even Rhys appeared to be struggling, his expression tight as he tried to find purchase. Not that it was helped by the fact he was carrying a now-wounded Sasha, her eyes squeezed shut as redness dripped onto the sand with each step.

As if the car that the dark-haired woman had “acquired” hitting a baby Skag with a sickening crunch wasn’t _wonderful_ enough, said vehicle had promptly broken down within a few miles of the incident. Gears clogged with Skag guts, as the woman had eloquently put it when Fiona had risked asking.

Then of course, mama Skag had arrived with murder in her eyes and persistence in her heart. Not wasting a moment as the quartet stumbled out of the vehicle before she promptly gripped onto Sasha’s leg and began to drag her away.

Fiona was surprised frankly they had not drawn any attention based on how loudly her sister had been screaming. Not that she blamed her in the slightest...though her captors did not appear to have the same view of the situation.

If she wasn’t concerned about being shot with said rifle herself she might have commented how _unnecessary_ it was for the dark-haired woman to shoot so close to Sasha in order to scare the Skag off.

Least the dark-haired woman had suggested Rhys carry Sasha for a bit, something that had made the lean Pandoran shoot her a look as sharp as a Skag’s teeth, opening his mouth to protest. The woman only had to give him a look before he was grumbling, kneeling down and picking up the Hyperion with a wince.

Sasha groaned a little, her arm going around Rhys’ shoulders before her head rested against his chest. Fiona frowned to herself, her sister bordering on limp as the quartet walked through the desert.

She’d seen her sister get into scrapes on Helios, barely whimpering as she was stitched up by the best doctors Hyperion could afford. Well, corrupt as they came, but with better training than any so-called doctor on Pandora.

And yet here she was, breathing shallow as the blood continued to steadily drip from her leg. Leaving behind a trail of breadcrumbs for whatever predators or bandits were lurking around the quartet.

They’d been walking for an hour. Or at least, Fiona thought it might be an hour, the barren landscape doing little to give an indication as to the passage of time. An endless stretch of sand, sand and more sand. And if they were lucky, perhaps a rock.

“She isn’t going to make it,” the dark-haired woman murmured, a frown etched on her features as she fell into line with Rhys. She had slung her rifle across her back, two sets of initials clumsily carved into the barrel, though Fiona couldn’t tell what they were from this distance.

Rhys looked at the woman before he glanced down at Sasha, mismatched eyes of amber and violet inspecting her leg. He let out a sigh almost as heavy as the weight forming in Fiona’s stomach.

“You didn't happen to…”

“No. That’s why I sent you out for supplies, remember?” the woman replied, her laugh bitter as she too inspected the leg. She removed her jacket, tearing off a portion of her shirt before she held it out to her partner. “Should bind it up before we get a pack of Skags on our hands…”

Rhys nodded, shifting his grip as the group stopped. The woman wasted no time binding up the bite, Sasha groaning as she shifted within Rhys’ arms.

Fiona shifted within her bonds, wishing her arms were free in that moment. Wanting to stroke back her sister’s hair, murmur comforting albeit hollow words about how all this would be fine.

But instead, she was forced to watch Rhys clamp down tightly on her sister’s leg, rolling his eyes a little as his partner finished the job.

“Should hold for a little while. Hopefully not too much bile got into it,” Angel murmured. Sasha had gone pale, Fiona’s heart thudding as the other woman placed a hand on her sister’s forehead. “Shit.”

“Should we….” Rhys began, his partner meeting his eyes before she glanced back at Fiona.

She murmured something low enough for Fiona not to hear, though based on Rhys’ expression it was nothing positive. He grimaced as he glanced down at Sasha, meeting his partner’s eyes before he lowered her sister to the ground.

The sand nestled around Sasha’s frame, a groan escaping her lips as she gritted her teeth. The makeshift bandage to Fiona’s horror was tugged off, the bite exposed. Fiona blanched as she took in the exposed tendons, even a glimpse of white amongst all the red.

Something clicked before the dark-haired woman stepped forward, the rifle now in her hands.

If Fiona’s heart had been thudding before, it had stopped entirely in that moment.

The woman looked through the scope of the rifle before she hesitated, looking at Rhys.

Something in Fiona, small but hopeful, blossomed at the woman’s expression as she lowered the gun.

“Wish we could afford a damn silencer,” the woman murmured, scanning the Pandoran desert before she sighed. She met Rhys’ eyes, her gaze dropping to his flesh arm. “You mind…”

The man grimaced, looking at Sasha.

“It’ll be quieter than a rifle going off,” the woman seemed to remind him, and any hope of mercy Fiona had withered within moments. Fiona tugged at her restraints as Rhys sighed, pulling off his leather jacket. He passed it to his partner, the latter placing a tanned hand on his arm. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me just yet,” he retorted with a frown, tattoos of clunky blue exposed as he flexed his fingers. He closed his eyes, taking a long, deep breath before the tattoos appeared to flicker, humming to life as Fiona could only watch with widened green eyes.

She’d been around Jack enough to know what Sirens were, what they were capable of. He had always been oddly fascinated with them, though Fiona had never seen the appeal. Someone that powerful could only bring chaos and destruction.

Perhaps that was why he liked them in the first place.

She had never heard of a male Siren, but there was always a first time for...well **anything** on Pandora.

The tattoos had taken on a dim light as Fiona stumbled towards Rhys and Sasha, her heels sinking further into the sand as she quickened her movements. Her sister’s breathing becoming so shallow it almost looked as if she wasn’t breathing at all, the wound continuing to drip blood with every slowing heartbeat.

Rhys’ eyes opened, hardened jewels as he knelt down beside Sasha. One palm of flesh, the other of metal clamping around her head as he looked at the dark haired woman. The latter only nodded, crossing her arms before she turned her back to the scene.

Fiona didn't even pause before she launched at him, her frame colliding violently with his causing his grip to slip from her sister’s head. He barely let out a sound as he thumped to the ground, hardened eyes now on her.

His gaze was almost feral as he stared at her, jewel-like eyes assessing her before he easily pinned her to the ground, metal fingers tight on her shoulder as he cocked his head. Violet and amber eyes running over her frame before he shook his head, shoving her away before he went back to the task at hand.

Something sharp dug into her back as she skidded and she hissed, shifting against the sand. Something sliced through her clothes, and for a moment she grimaced, thinking of how she would have to replace them once she went back to Helios. That thought rapidly left her head as her eyes widened at the opportunity practically handed to her on a silver platter.

Her eyes remained on Rhys as he placed his hands back on her sister’s head, praying her bonds were resting against the sharp object before she pressed down and began to shift.

The dark haired woman had turned around by this point, her eyes watching Fiona questioningly as the rope snapped off Fiona’s wrists.

Fiona chuckled in triumph, turning her wrists experimentally as her sister gave out a sharp, almost panicked whimper as Rhys squeezed. Her legs beginning to shift wildly, hands feebly going to his arms as her eyes widened.

Fiona scrambled towards them as Angel moved towards her, the sun hot on Fiona’s back as she launched at Rhys once more. Smooth hands against his throat before he could blink, her manicured nails bright and yellow against the skin as she pinned him down.

Those hardened eyes had gone comically wide as Fiona continued to hold him down. Something sharp sliced through her eyebrow and down her cheek, and when Rhys drew back his hand, one of the nails was stained red.

She hissed as she throttled him, ignoring the blood dripping before her vision and the growing warmth in one of her arms. He clawed at the latter harshly, his teeth gritted as he left behind long lines of redness.

She gripped one of his hands, pushing down on his throat with her elbow as she pinned his flesh wrist down.

Her vision was fading around the edges, almost sunset orange as the arm holding down his wrist grew unbearably hot. She tried her best to ignore it, squeezing down as Rhys’ markings began to dim.

Something whooshed past her neck, her hand leaving his arm and instinctively going to the spot. She could barely register it before she was flipped over, pinned down as Rhys hovered above her.

His teeth were gritted, barely human before something shifted in his demeanour.

There was an odd look in his eyes as he kept her pinned, his grip softening as he glanced down at one of her arms. Shifting his grip so that he could hold both wrists with his metal hand. There was a sickening fascination to it as his flesh hand traced down her arm, practically entranced before he shook his head and rapidly scrambled off her.

He met his partner’s eyes, her own wide before he coughed, an ugly sort of sound.

Fiona tilted her head to see coughs wracking through his frame. His partner placed a hand on his back, rubbing circles between the shoulder blades as he curled into himself. He shuddered, eyes softening as he spat out a violet bile.

The sand hissed as the bile landed upon it, eating away at the grains before it sunk into its depths. Joining her shoes, Fiona was rapidly realizing as she sat up, the sun beating down on her stocking feet.

Sasha gave a sort of sharp shudder that had Fiona scrambling towards her. Pulling her head into her lap as she stroked back her thick hair, murmuring gently as her sister met her gaze weakly.

Fiona gazed at their captors, glancing at her warily before they began murmuring to themselves. Rhys’ expression was unreadable, his metal hand tracing over the markings on his arm as his partner just...stared at her.

Sasha closed her eyes as she took a ragged breath, Fiona’s eyes darting back to her sister as she tried to keep herself calm. To not imagine the worst possibility, that there might still be a chance for her sister.

The dark haired woman approached her tentatively, kneeling down before the pair. There was a definite caution to her movements, inching towards Fiona and her sister as she met Fiona’s eyes.

“If we get her some help, will you go with Rhys?” the woman asked.

Fiona looked down at her sister, Sasha barely moving now.

“Thought you said she wasn’t going to make it,” Fiona recited back, choking partway through the sentence. She took a shuddering breath, trying to steady herself despite how sharply her eyes were starting to prick. To show weakness would give them an advantage...not that they didn't have one in the first place.

Sasha and her were their hostages, after all.

“There might be...someone who can help us,” the woman said cautiously as she looked at Rhys. The man looked at her questioningly as she took a deep breath. “He’s….well he’s been of help before and he owes me a favour…”

Something dawned in Rhys’ eyes and he began to shake his head emphatically.

“You are not going to...to _him_ for a single damn thing Angel…” Rhys retorted sharply, though the woman’s gaze hardly wavered.  “No. No there has to be someone else…”

“Who else would there be, Rhys?” she replied with a sharpness that set Fiona on edge. “Timothy is gone, and you and I both know we are barely halfway to San...to _there_ …if you think she’s going to take a dead Hyperion, then you must be delusional…”

“Angel. Please. Not him,” Rhys pleaded, bordering on a whine, though the woman only shook her head. “Angel…”

“We don’t have time for this,” Fiona interrupted sharply, the pair now looking at her. As if to emphasize her point, Sasha’s breath rattled, her skin growing dull with each passing moment. Fiona didn't want to even consider it, but based on her condition it was hard not to expect her to fade away entirely within a few minutes. “Look, I’ll go wherever you’re planning to take us. Just…”

Fiona touched her sister’s face, wetness slipping down her cheeks.

“Just...just please help her,” she finished, quieter than before.

Angel looked at Rhys meaningfully, a tenseness to Rhys’ jaw as he nodded curtly. His arms crossed as Angel tied the cloth back around her sister's leg, helping Sasha to her feet. Sasha's arm was slung around the other woman’s shoulders as Angel booted up her communicator, and Fiona couldn't help the concern still coursing through her.

Angel handed Rhys his jacket before she essentially carried the weakened Hyperion away, Sasha's feet skimming the ground as she appeared to slump forward. Fiona tensed, though when her sister continued to breathe she relaxed a fraction. Angel was talking to someone on her communicator, her partner looking none too pleased with that fact. His arms remained crossed as he followed her, his mouth fixed in a thin line.  

He slipped on his jacket wordlessly, his gaze lingering on Fiona’s arm before he looked away with a heavy sigh.

“Who is he?” Fiona asked, Rhys’ response a bitter chuckle.

“Doesn’t matter. He isn’t going to help us,” Rhys replied. “Not for nothing, at least.”

“Thought your sister said he owed her a favour,” Fiona countered, falling into step with the Pandoran. The latter only shook his head before he sighed.

“He’ll want more. He always wants more. He’s his mother’s son after all,” Rhys replied, letting out a sigh as he watched the pair ahead of them. “Hopefully we can convince him you’ll give him something once you get back to Hyperion.”

Fiona cocked an eyebrow, wincing as pain spread across it.

“You’re taking me back to Hyperion?” she asked skeptically.

“Course not,” Rhys replied, a smirk on his features as he glanced over at her. “But he doesn’t need to know that, does he?”

“So...you’re planning to screw him over,” Fiona replied. “How’s _that_ going to help Sasha?”

“Well, Hyperion money transfers take **_time_** after all,” Rhys replied with a knowing sort of grin. “Sometimes weeks, or **_months_**. **_Plenty_ ** of time to stitch up your sister and get back on track.”

Her sister stumbled, Angel wrapping her arm tighter around Sasha’s middle as they walked along.

Fiona pursed her lips as she looked at the Pandoran thug.

By the Eridians....she desperately hoped he knew what he was talking about.


	4. A Different Path

Rhys had never been that patient of a person, if he was being honest with himself. Since he was a child all too eager to be first to unwrap his presents on Mercenary Day (back when gifts had been plural, not whatever lone present could be cobbled together using what little they had), his father rolling his eyes affectionately before he would ruffle the boy's hair.

He took a sip of tepid Rakk ale, grimacing at the taste as one of August's goons wiped down the counter. Rhys didn't see the point. People came to the Purple Skag for cheap beer, not the _atmosphere_.

And to be scared shitless by its proprietor, but that was another matter entirely.

He fidgeted, peeling part of the label off the bottle of ale as he heard Angel speaking to the prick in tones too low for him to hear. Trapped in that office that stunk of beer and blood, crates stacked to the ceiling with guns and who knew what else. Not that he was interested in the latter.

Well. Maybe he was, in the smallest way, but he wasn't going to _ask_. Had enough common sense to know that for a fact.

Besides. Less he knew, the better he figured.

The bits of paper were falling onto the floor, the goon looking at him with disapproval, though silent as he went back to cleaning the counter.

Rhys was nearly tempted to strike up conversation for something to do, his only other possible form of distraction currently in August's makeshift office. Likely pleading to the blond alongside Angel for the man to try to grow something in that chest cavity besides greed, malice and violence.

On second thought, perhaps Fiona and August would find that in common. Both agents of Hyperion, hell they were probably swapping stories about all those they had screwed over.

Rhys was down to a quarter of the label by the time someone plopped down onto the stool beside him. Tossing down a few bills, barely speaking as they gestured towards a bottle perched against the wall.

Their boots were caked in dust and something dark red, a cloth hood around their head as the ratty fabric was pulled across their mouth. It was so taunt Rhys would be surprised if the stranger could speak at all.

"Were starting to think a Rakk might have gotten to you," the bartender declared.

The figure reached under the cloth, long tanned fingers resting against something before they spoke, the cloth shifting with each movement of their lips.

"He got anything else for me?" The man asked, the voice almost synthetic as the bartender set down the dusty glass. The man looked at it skeptically before he looked back at the bartender, already pouring the dark liquid into it.

The man let out a long sigh, staring at the liquid before Rhys suddenly felt a pair of eyes on him. Sure enough when he looked, the man was eyeing him.

"Marco!" A familiar voice barked from the makeshift office. The goon straightened, nearly dropping the cloth before he recovered, scampering like a startled Skag into the office.

Rhys didn't try to hide his smirk as he took a sip of the ale, instantly regretting it as he set the bottle back onto the counter.

The stranger spun on his stool, groaning as he began to rub his thighs. Massaging one as the other hand came up to his mask, peeling off the fabric in one smooth motion.

The tattered rags rested on the counter as Rhys felt a sharp pain go through his gut as he took in the familiar features, the slope of his jaw and the mismatched eyes of green and blue barely concealed by what looked like cheap amber contacts.

Thank the Eridians that Pandorans weren't that observant or Rhys suspected the man sitting beside him would not have lived this long.

"You're working for August?" Rhys asked sharply, watching the older man take a long sip of his liquor. Holding it in his mouth before he swallowed.

"Hello to you too Rhys," Timothy retorted, leaning forward with a wince before he began to rub his knees.

"Thought you had a job with Jakobs," Rhys replied, the man scoffing, another sharp pain going through his gut at the familiarity of the sound.

"Hyperion did the job for me," Tim countered. He took another sip from his glass, shaking his head with a grimace.

"But...August? Really?" Rhys replied, searching the man's features.

"He pays," Tim countered. "Quite well, actually."

" **Vallory** pays," Rhys corrected him, the latter letting out a long sigh. "Thought you said you were done with Hyperion."

"It's never been proven," Tim replied, though Rhys' withering expression caused him to falter. "Look. I just....it's a few more jobs."

"It's always a few more jobs," Rhys replied under his breath.

"And then I can get rid of **this** ," Rhys and Tim said at the same time, Rhys mirroring Tim's movements as he gestured to his face. Tim frowned, the statement lingering between them. The pair well aware of how many times it had been said before to no avail.

Rhys sipped his ale.

"Starting to think you might as well keep it at this point," Rhys replied, swirling the liquid around in the bottle.

"I'm sure Angel would approve of that plan," Tim countered.

"She'd understand. I mean, she'd barely be able to look at you, but she'd understand."

Tim grimaced again, draining the glass before he set it down on the pristine counter.

"Can barely look at myself most days," Tim murmured under his breath, rubbing his eyes as he leaned against the counter.

The door to the makeshift office opened, Rhys' eyes widening before he all but slammed Tim's face against the counter. Reaching over him and tossing on the cloth over the other man's head before he leaned against it.

"Oww," Tim whined, Rhys elbowing him in the side sharply.

The tall blond that emerged cocked an eyebrow as he looked at the man currently slumped against the counter, crossing his arms for good measure as he looked at Rhys.

"Passed out drunk. Took one sip and whoosh, down he went," Rhys declared with what was supposed to be a light laugh that came out more hysterical than he wanted.

Angel looked around August at Rhys, her eyebrows raised, glancing at August who eyed Tim suspiciously. He smirked a little as he approached Tim, picking up the glass and sniffing it.

"Surprised he even finished the glass," August declared, almost sounding impressed as he set the glass down. "So. Angel tells me you might have something Vallory wants."

Rhys looked at Angel questioningly as August continued.

"Unless I'm wrong about you having access to a Hyperion Eridium mine?"

If Rhys was trying to find some clarification in Angel's eyes, he sure as hell wasn't going to find it there, the woman only shrugging and mouthing "Sorry."

Rhys blinked, scrambling to figure out some form of excuse that wouldn't end up with their brains splattered onto the floor when Fiona spoke.

"And if we agree to work with you, you'll help her?" Fiona asked.

"But of course. I'm a man of my word, after all," August retorted as he looked at the Hyperion. "Though of course, I'm gonna need some leverage."

Fiona eyed him cautiously, Rhys sporting close to the same expression as August continued.

"Angel and Sasha will stay here. Not like your sister can be much help anyways," August continued. "And in exchange, you and him..."

Rhys didn't like how August curled his tongue around 'him', even if the distaste in it was more than mutual on his side.

"Are gonna make sure you get the deal from Hyperion," August ordered.

"And after that?" Rhys replied after a rather audible swallow, August only cocking an eyebrow as if Rhys had asked for his permission to ride a Rakk hive. "S-sounds good."

August turned his head a little, glancing down at Angel who crossed her arms and nodded. Her eyes meeting Rhys' for a moment, giving him a small smile that was supposed to be reassuring.

Still didn't alleviate the sharp knot in his gut as he slid off the stool, brushing himself down as little flakes of the label joined the rest on the floor.

He risked a glance at Tim before he fully faced the Pandoran thug, noting with a small grin he had a few inches on the man until the man's eyes met his sharply. He let out a small chuckle, high-pitched before he took a step back, the backs of his legs knocking against the stool with a sharp clatter.

He heard someone snort, Fiona sporting an amused expression as Angel removed her bonds. Her hands fell to her sides, and she rubbed the angry red welts on her wrists as she walked towards Rhys.

Her heels clicked against the wooden floor, filling the sudden silence as she took her spot beside him. Her eyes lingering on the doorway of the makeshift office before they snapped back to August's face as he sharply whistled.

The same goon as before approached with four weapons, two rifles and pistols, along with enough supplies to last them at least a week. Unceremoniously dumping them into Rhys’ arms causing him to let out a small oomph before he recovered.

Tim let out a small sound of his own, Rhys using the back of his boot to sharply kick the stool. It jostled sharply against the floor, rattling as Fiona met his eyes questioningly.

Rhys couldn't help but notice there was a faint tinge of orange around the iris, all the more startling surrounding the pale green. He scratched at his markings absentmindedly, August giving out a sharp cough.

It was enough to jostle Rhys out of his strange reverie, and he shook his head as he broke from her gaze with a frown.

“If we don't hear from you in a week, we’ll send someone,” August declared as he handed Fiona an ECHOcomm, Rhys nodding in tandem with the Hyperion as she turned the device around in her hands.

August was wearing a smug look until something beeped, the Pandoran pressing his finger to his ear as he began to speak to someone.

He gestured for one of his goons to remove the man currently sprawled across his counter, Rhys’ eyes widening as his heart thudded. About to make an excuse that he could drag the drunk out until Angel volunteered to do it.

Her gaze lingered on Rhys as she looped Tim’s arm around her shoulders, making sure not to jostle the cloth as the makeshift quartet slipped into the street.

A truck sped past the bar, the quartet stepping back as it sharply swerved onto the next street. Angel peeked under the cloth, frowning to herself before she placed the cloth back onto Tim’s features.

“You should probably get going before August gets any more ideas,” Angel declared, Rhys looking at her with comically wide eyes.

“Oh **really**?” He asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm and a certain sharpness. “Because I’m _all_ _too_ _**eager**_ to find out _how_ August knew about an Eridium mine deal…”

“Sasha mentioned it while on whatever drugs August’s pumping her with,” Angel replied just as sharply, Tim letting out a longer groan. She shook her head in exasperation before she gently patted the back of his head as if he was some dog. “Practically bragged about it…”

Rhys turned to Fiona, who nodded in confirmation. She at least had the decency to look as displeased as Rhys felt, though he swore there was a note of triumph to her expression.

Rhys looked at Angel for a moment, glancing back at the Purple Skag as he heard something sharply clatter inside.

“I’ll be fine Rhys,” Angel reassured him, squeezing his human arm for good measure. The touch lingering before she released it with a small smile, one that he knew Fiona had to notice.

Rhys pursed his lips in displeasure, nodding as he looked at Tim.

“Take him home. Don’t even want to think…”

“But I wanted to take him to the town square and declare the triumphant return of…” Angel began jokingly, appearing to realize at the last moment their companion looking at the trio with interest. “Fine.”

Tim leaned further against Angel as she led him away, her touch gentle as she was practically stroking his back with every step. **Subtle**.

“So...where is this Eridium mine anyways?” Rhys asked, his gaze lingering on Angel and Tim as they disappeared from view.

He turned his head to see Fiona was practically cataloguing him, and he shifted away from her a little.

“Somewhere they’re not going to let in Pandorans,” Fiona retorted. “And, I’m not going to lie, as tempting as it is to simply let you walk into there and see what happens…”

Rhys didn't like that look, all too gleeful as she looked him up and down again, appearing to linger on the arm and the boots.

“I’d rather not **die** because of you,” she continued. “So. Where's the nearest Quick-Change station?”

“Scooter’s garage, why….” Rhys began before he stopped. Bristling as the implication dawned on him, already shaking his head as he crossed his arms.   
“No.”

“You have a better suggestion?”

“Than trekking across Pandora as a pair of Hyperions? I can think of a few,” Rhys retorted as he met her eyes.

“Then we don't go across Pandora as Hyperions,” she replied evenly, tilting her head a little. “Do we?”

Rhys closed his mouth, his expression turning sour as she just smirked, patting his chest as she brushed past him.

“Sure you’d get there at _some_ point,” she declared, sauntering down the worn cobblestones with a certain triumph.

Rhys rolled his eyes, watching her walk for a little bit as he began to grin.

“You sure you want to go _that_ way?”

She stopped, the triumph evaporating as she turned back to face him. Her features twisted as she brushed past him, and Rhys found himself chuckling.

_Point for Rhys._

 

It was easy enough to access the garage once Rhys **happened** to mention that Angel needed a favour. The greasy little mechanic practically beaming as he offered his Fast-Change station willingly.

Fiona didn't like the way he was staring at her as she stepped towards the screen, allowing it to scan her in the same way his eyes seemed to be doing.

Rhys had insisted she go first with a small grin, all too entertained with how Scooter clumsily flirted.

If you could even **call** it flirting between all the rambling.

She eventually picked the first outfit she could find, pressing the button and allowing the machine to change her appearance.

She took a look at herself and grimaced, the white crop top exposing her stomach and the jeans a fraction too tight. She barely expected the jacket to cover anything.

Scooter didn't seem to mind, openly ogling now as his jaw went slack.

She shook her head, turning back to the machine.

She eventually found something, though she wasn't too impressed with the window to her cleavage. Wrong colour too, the browns too dull compared to all the yellow in Hyperion.

Didn't take too much to shift the colour to more of a navy blue, muted enough she thought not to draw attention.

Though she appeared to be wrong, Scooter still staring with Rhys’ gaze just...lingering. Going over every inch of her outfit before he came back to her face.

She swore she saw him begin to flush as he cleared his throat.

“That'll work,” he squeaked before he cleared his throat again, brutally as he motioned her to step aside.

He frowned as he went through the screen, flicking through it before he settled on something with a heavy sigh.

Grimacing as he tapped the screen, flickering for a moment before he turned to her.

“Good enough?”

He held his arms out from his sides, the suit almost entirely black sans for the pinstripes of yellow down one sleeve, the vest interlaced with honeycombs of gold.

If it wasn't for the hair and the sullen expression (actually, perhaps not the latter), she would hardly guess he **wasn't** Hyperion.

Despite his expression, it was almost as if he was **meant** to wear something like this.

Meanwhile she felt as if she was playing dress-up in her Pandoran get-up.

Rhys quickly paid for the outfit, lingering at the machine before he tapped the screen a few times.

He changed back to his Pandoran gear before he tossed something at her, the same hue as her outfit.

She caught the bowler hat between her hands, inspecting it before she looked at Rhys.

“Should help with the sun,” he declared.

She awkwardly placed it on her head, catching a glimpse of herself as she saw Rhys try to subtly slip Scooter a few bills. The mechanic refused, though his words and expression didn't seem to please Rhys in the slightest.

It was...a look, she gave it that much.

Rhys didn't wait for her, already hurriedly exiting the garage.

Scooter gave her a bright grin as she stood there awkwardly, watching her with interest as he opened his mouth to speak again.

She practically sprinted after Rhys, barely listening as the garage door closed behind her. Reminding herself that it was a week, only a week and then she could run away from all of this. Perhaps convince August to send her sister back with her.

And if she couldn't...well, Loaderbots could be **very** convincing.

All she really had to do was slip away from the Pandoran once she got the Eridium mine deal.

Give August enough money, and if need be, power to release her sister.

And then, they could all pretend none of this had happened, albeit with a bit more coin in their pockets.

_Sounded simple enough._

 

 


	5. Loyalties

“Simple,” Fiona muttered as she kneed a bandit right in the crotch. “Of course it couldn’t be  _ simple,  _ **_could it_ ** ?”

It seemed Pandora was determined to kill her, the possible heatstroke from the sun that made her clothes plaster to her back, the Skags she swore she saw out of the corner of her eye with every step she took, and now, because why the hell not….Pandoran bandits. 

It was all Rhys’ fault, she knew that much. If the prick had just  _ listened  _ to her and got them a vehicle, not only would the journey time be cut in half, but they wouldn’t have been surrounded by a group of bandits within two days of leaving Hollow Point. 

Little bastards had probably been tracking them since they stepped out of the cave, beady eyes behind stained masks of white and red trying to find the best place to start the feast. Their mouths already salivating as they screamed out obscenities and nonsense. 

But no. No Rhys had been too damn  _ cautious  _ about trying to get themselves a car, and even  **he** didn't seem to believe the excuse that their bad luck with vehicles was a good enough reason not to try to get another one. 

She had bit her tongue that if it wasn’t for _Angel and_ **_him_** that first little ‘incident’ never would have happened in the first place, or the one that came after it. 

She risked a glance at her begrudging companion, his teeth gritted as he shot a few of the bandits, a satisfied grin on his features for a moment as they fell with squeals and groans. 

It was enough time for Fiona to be tackled, one bandit latching onto her back as the other clung to her front. The pair tugging her down sharply and giggling excitedly as they clamoured on top of her back. 

One of them picked up her rifle, inspecting it gleefully before they pointed the barrel at their head and pulled the trigger. Fiona gagged as his head flew clean off from the force, a headless corpse left in its place that sprayed blood onto the sand. 

The other bandit let out a loud screech, gripping Fiona’s hair and beginning to bash her head against the ground, her vision wobbling as she tried to get a grip on the bandit. She let out a sharp yelp as teeth sunk into her palm, grimacing as the bandit held her hand in its mouth triumphantly. 

She desperately clawed at its back, gripping its neck before she tried to toss the bandit off her to no avail.

By the Eridians, how **soft** had Helios and Hyperion made her? She could remember her childhood where this sort of thing was almost a sport for children to play, the one who got the bandit off in the shortest amount of time given respect. 

And if they were really lucky, perhaps enough money to have a decent meal.

“Aim for the back of the neck!” 

She turned her head to see Rhys continuing to fight off the bandits, his markings flickering to life as he was practically tossing them off him. 

“What?” Fiona called out as the bandit gave her head another violent hit, everything wobbling before it briefly went back into focus. 

Rhys’ eyes had hardened, his markings bright and a few of the bandits ran off as those jewels of amber and charoite stared at her. 

“Take your hand from its mouth, and grip the back of its neck,” Rhys commanded, his voice oddly ethereal as he sprinted towards her. One bandit charged at him, Rhys barely glancing at him before he gripped his skull and squeezed with a crack that Fiona was certain would echo around Pandora. “Now.”

She gave him a confused frown and yet her arm yanked itself out of the bandit’s mouth on its own, her fingers curling around the bandit’s neck tightly. 

“Now you just need to toss him off, and I’ll handle the rest,” Rhys continued, Fiona’s expression transforming to horror as she complied. Tossing him clean off her, the bandit landing in the dirt with a thump in front of Rhys. 

She scrambled to her knees, her hand dripping blood, though it was the markings of sunset orange that were curling around the wound that held her attention. She tugged down her sleeve, her eyes wide as she took in the swirling markings, which as far as she could recall _she had never_ ** _seen_** before. 

Her attention was diverted as she heard another sickening crack, looking up in time to see the bandit lying in a puddle of its own blood and brain matter. Rhys tucking the gun back into his holster with a small frown, eyes still hardened as they met hers. 

There was a certain grace to how he moved, kneeling before her before he took her hand in his. The metal fingers cool against the back of her hand as he inspected the wound, though when she tried to tug it away and reassure him that she was  _ fine  _ he only tightened his grip. 

His markings were still bright, though his arm was hanging at an odd angle, but he didn't seem to notice as his fingers left her palm. Reaching up towards her face as she scrambled away, hissing as sand found its way into the wound. 

Rhys cocked his head in what almost looked like curiosity, his eyes almost as bright as his markings before he coughed violently. 

Those eyes slid shut, Rhys’ features contorting before his frame shook, still coughing wetly before something bright and violet dripped out of his mouth. The sand hissed at the contact with his bile, and it took Fiona a moment to realize she  _ recognized  _ the sludge before it sunk under the sand. 

Rhys squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head before he opened his eyes. He tried to move his arm, the appendage flopping uselessly and he chuckled drily. 

“Fan-tastic,” he grumbled, using his metal arm to set the appendage into his lap. Gritting his teeth as he set the arm with a sharp scrape of bone against the socket, his mouth still set as he reset his forearm as well. 

His markings flickered before they settled, the man flexing his fingers and turning his arm experimentally before he seemed satisfied. 

He finally seemed to notice that Fiona had been staring, amber and violet eyes meeting hers before he stood up. 

“Anything broken?” he asked, and for the first time Fiona could remember she was stunned into silence. Only shaking her head and wincing as a sharp pain went through it at the motion. 

_ How was a Pandoran dripping  _ **_Eridium sludge_ ** _? That..that wasn’t even  _ **_possible_ ** _. _

“Your head alright?” Rhys asked. 

“Excellent, never felt…” Fiona began as she tried to stand up only for everything to sharply pitch. 

She felt someone grip her tightly, and when she opened her eyes Rhys was looking down at her. His grip was gentler than before, fingers resting on her shoulders as he wore what almost looked like a smile. 

“Yeah, you’re definitely alright,” he declared. 

There was that odd look again, the same as when Rhys had pinned her down when she tried to save her sister. Soft and almost entranced, the smile making something curl in her stomach before Rhys closed his eyes and stepped away.

It seemed as soon as the smile appeared it had faded, the man running a hand through his hair as he shook his head. Frowning to himself before he looked at her again. Despite the firm line of his mouth, whatever... _ look _ that was still remained to a certain degree as he glanced her over. 

Lingering on her hair in particular, Fiona instinctively touching it as he went through their supplies. 

He seemed to find what he was looking for, tucking a knife into his belt before he glanced around. 

“C’mon, there’s a nearby cave we can stay in for the night,” he declared as he slung the supplies and rifle across his back, Fiona frowning as she looked at the bright Pandoran sun. 

“But it’s still the middle of the day,” Fiona replied. 

“Trust me, you do not want to be walking through Pandora when you’re given one of Dr. Zed’s health kits,” Rhys retorted as he pulled out a vial of bright red liquid. He looked at her and smirked. “As entertaining as it might be to watch you hobbling around.” 

Something bristled in her, but it felt duller than before as she found herself studying his features. Particularly that smirk, infuriating and yet...oddly familiar to her. 

She shook it off as she nodded, smirking to herself at the surprised look on Rhys’ features that she had so readily agreed with him. 

“Lead the way then,” she declared, grandly gesturing with her arm. 

Rhys rolled his eyes before he walked ahead of her, his gear smacking against his back as Fiona fell in step with him. Concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other, grateful when they arrived at the cave within a few minutes. 

Everything was taking on a haze as Rhys set her down on the cave floor, pulling off her jacket and plunging something into her arm sharply. 

The sound of protest barely escaped her lips before her eyes slid shut, her frame collapsing against the cave wall. 

 

* * *

 

 

He could just carry her off to Sanctuary if he really wanted to. Dr. Zed’s health kits were cheap, but twice as potent as anything Hyperion or any other gun company could give you. She likely wouldn’t wake up for a few hours, the perfect amount of time to get to Sanctuary and leave her as a present at the front gates for the Vault Hunters. 

If he could get the damn ECHOcomm working, their little scuffle with the bandits all but destroying the device. 

Even if he had a rough idea where Sanctuary might be, he would likely be wrong. Ever since Jack had died, the floating city had been shifting around Pandora every few weeks. Lillith making sure they were never in one place long enough for Hyperion to find them and take out the Vault Hunters that had killed their leader. 

Not to mention he didn't even want to consider what August might do to Angel if he found out what Rhys had done. 

He glanced at his hostage, still fast asleep. Her sunset orange markings prominent against her tanned skin, his metallic fingers instinctively going to his own as he stared at them. 

He risked a cautious glance at his own, and sure enough nestled amongst all the blue was the beginnings of sunset orange. 

He traced them absentmindedly, frowning to himself as he suddenly felt a pair of eyes on him. 

Fiona was watching him, her pale green eyes reflecting the makeshift fire he had built between them. Cataloguing and studying him in the same way he had been just watching her, and he felt his mouth set itself in a thin line. 

He hurriedly slipped back on his jacket before he went to their supplies, pulling out a few rations before he tossed one to her if only to get her to look away from him.

Aim had never been really his strong point, the rations box hitting her square in the jaw with a thunk. 

He tore into his own rations as he felt her glare at him, rubbing her chin as she opened her box. She was likely starving, another little side effect of Zed’s med kits. 

The pair ate in silence, Fiona chewing her food as Rhys practically scarfed it down, barely even looking at what he was eating. 

She set the bar down onto her lap as Rhys finished his meal, Rhys wiping the back of his mouth as he looked at her. 

“Sorry it’s not up to Hyperion quality,” he retorted to her expression, though she didn’t seem to react. 

He took a sip of his water, resealing the canteen before he set it at his side, Fiona still just...sitting there and watching him. 

“You’re not...human, are you?” Fiona asked.

“Thanks for the compliment,” Rhys retorted sarcastically. 

“You a Siren?” she inquired further, and when she left it there Rhys met her eyes. Eyeing her cautiously as he shifted a little. 

He could lie, say he was. It would make sense to her and they could leave it at that. Hyperions knew about Sirens, Handsome Jack had made sure of that. Hell, he could probably scare her into not mentioning it if he played the part well enough. Pretend he could destroy her with a single glance. 

Which he...could, but that wasn’t quite the point here. 

Daimons...they weren’t even supposed to  **exist** . A product of the Eridians, not quite human but not quite alien either. Scientific oddities to be opened up and examined, to be used and abused until all that was left were husks. 

At least...that was what his father had told him. 

“No,” he answered truthfully. “I’m not.” 

He almost wished he was still eating so he could stab at his food, or do something with his hands besides fiddle them and hope she wouldn’t ask him anything else on the matter. 

It settled there between them, and Fiona pursed her lips as she examined him. 

He looked at her hair again, grateful for the change of subject. 

“You should probably cut that,” he declared, Fiona frowning before she saw where his gaze lay. 

“No,” she replied firmly. 

“You’re only risking a concussion the longer you keep it that length, you know,” Rhys replied matter-of-factly. “You don’t want to know what they do to the brain-dead on Pandora.” 

Her lips twitched as she touched her hair gently, running her tanned fingers through it. Twirling the lone blue streak for a moment as she looked out of the cave. 

“Trust me,” she replied. “I know.” 

Rhys frowned at the statement, too-knowing for a Pandoran. For a moment he was tempted to ask before he stopped himself. Less he knew, the better. 

She let out an exhale. 

“Give me the knife,” she declared, frowning as Rhys shook his head. “What, you afraid I’m going to use it to slit your throat?” 

“Honestly?” Rhys asked as he stood up, pulling the knife from his belt. “Yeah, I kinda am. Shift a little.” 

She looked at him skeptically as he approached, hesitating when he motioned for her to turn her back to him. 

“Look, I need you alive if I want to see Angel again. Trust me, I’m not going to kill you,” he retorted honestly. 

She took a deep breath before she turned away from him, brushing her hair back to rest between her shoulder blades. It was coated in dust and other forms of grime, Rhys grimacing as he took a lock into his hands and began to cut it. 

The knife cut through the hair cleanly, the strands falling onto the cave floor as Rhys continued to hack it off. 

“You sure you know what you’re doing?” Fiona asked skeptically. 

“I do this for Angel all the time,” he retorted as he worked, more and more hair falling to the ground. “And she hasn’t killed me yet.”

“Maybe because she can’t see the back of her head,” Fiona countered, a scoff escaping Rhys’ lips at the comment. 

“Har har har,” he retorted drily. 

“You sure she won't get jealous of you making a hack job out of someone else's head?” Fiona teased, and if Rhys didn't know any better he would think she was  _ flirting _ with him. 

“I won't tell her if you don't,” he countered, taking off more and more of her hair. 

Wait, why was  **he** flirting? 

The fire crackled beside them, accompanied by the sounds of Rhys’ work, the knife cleanly slicing through the thick hair before it fell onto the cave floor. 

“You think she's alright?”

“Angel?” Rhys asked as more hair fell onto the ground. “Yeah, she's fine. There are worse things Pandora has thrown at her than some thug with a superiority complex.”

Fiona nodded, Rhys letting out a huff as he set her head in place. 

“How do you know August anyways?”

Rhys let out a long sigh, taking a chunk of her hair and slicing it off before he spoke. 

“Hard not to,” Rhys replied with a dry chuckle. “If August isn't behind something on Pandora than you can be damn sure Vallory is.”

“His boss?”

Rhys let out a small laugh. 

“Worse. His mother,” Rhys replied, Fiona’s eyes widening in surprise. “The queenpin of Pandora.”

Rhys cut off another chunk. 

“And now that Handsome Jack is gone,” Rhys continued, letting the hair fall onto the cave floor before he took another section in his hand. “Wouldn’t be surprised if she sets her sights on Helios as well.” 

“Anyone’s better than Handsome Jack,” Fiona replied. 

“Well,” Rhys responded as he circled to the other side of her head, his pants caked in Pandoran dust. “Nice to know Hyperion  _ still _ breeds so much loyalty.” 

His eyes widened at the statement, the knife poised in his hand.  _ Shit.  _

“Still?” Fiona replied, turning her head towards him and cocking a plucked eyebrow as their eyes met. “Didn’t realize you knew so many Hyperions.” 

“You’re more than enough to make a few assumptions,” Rhys countered evenly, though it sounded hollow in his ears.

“You said ‘still’,” Fiona replied, her gaze unwavering. 

“You hear things on Pandora.” 

“You don’t strike me as someone who believes in those sorts of things.” 

“Was that a compliment?” Rhys countered, a smirk on his lips, leaning in a little. 

“Observation,” Fiona countered, mirroring his actions. “Unless I’m wrong.” 

“Wouldn’t be the first time for a  _ Hyperion _ .” 

“Maybe you are stupid enough to believe everything you hear,” Fiona countered, a smirk on her lips. His gaze flicked down to them briefly before he met her eyes again. “Wouldn’t be the first time for a  _ Pandoran _ .” 

“Says the Hyperion trying to piss off their captor,” Rhys replied, cocking his head a little. “Doesn’t quite strike me as  _ smart. _ ” 

“You didn’t answer my question,” Fiona replied, once again mirroring his actions. 

He chuckled a little. 

“You’ve seen a Pandoran, you’ve seen a Hyperion,” Rhys countered with a shrug. “Both stab you in the back, one just uses an actual knife for it.” 

He leaned in a little more, murmuring his next words. 

“Trust me, I’ve seen both.” 

“You’ve seen both?” Fiona countered, and Rhys felt a sharp panic spike through him at the sudden realization. “So...you’ve worked with Hyperions before?” 

It was her turn to wear the haughty expression, her smile curling onto her features as she continued to meet his eyes. 

“Does Angel know?” Fiona continued. “How many Hyperions  _ have  _ you worked with, anyways? Rough number.”

Rhys’ gaze wavered, and he bristled at the triumphant grin before she leaned back and let out a low whistle. 

“ _ That  _ many, huh?” she murmured. “Wow. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were no better than...what do you like to call us?” 

She leaned in close again. 

“ **_A Hyperion jackass_ ** ,” she murmured, oozing satisfaction. 

He tensed, his fingers curling around the knife. 

“I have to say though, you were very convincing. I was certain you hated Hyperion,” Fiona continued. 

Rhys didn’t respond, glaring at her as she grinned. 

“Why, I wouldn’t be surprised if you worked with Handsome Jack himself.” 

They both knew it wasn’t true, that it was meant to get under Rhys’s skin. Perhaps if he was stronger-willed, if he wasn’t seething with anger...if Angel had been there, he would have tried to brush it off. Lied through the skin of his teeth like always, deflected. 

But he did the worst thing possible in that moment. 

“Of course I did. The man who made sure my sister and I were confined to this shithole of a planet for a fucking decade,  _ of course  _ I worked with him,” Rhys snarled. “Helped him take away the only mother I ever had and make sure I never saw my father again. Oh, and of course we were such good pals that I had to hide with Angel for all these years, praying,  _ praying  _ someone would take him out so we could finally leave and forget all this bullshit.” 

He was inches away from her face, his markings flickering to life. 

“Congratulations, Fiona,” he hissed. “You figured me out.” 

The Hyperion looked genuinely startled, her eyes wide as she stared at him. Her breath warm against his mouth as he realized just how  _ close  _ the pair of them were. He only needed to move an inch and he could close that short distance.

And by the Eridians, part of him  **wanted** to. 

He took the remaining chunk of her hair and sliced it off, dropping the knife beside her with a sharp clatter. Satisfaction curling in his stomach when she jumped a little. 

He shifted away, disgust curling in his stomach at the part of him that didn’t want to. Not saying a word as he went to the other side of the cave and picked up the ECHOcomm, fiddling with it more roughly than he needed to. 

He was surprised when she didn’t say anything, though there was something akin to pity in her eyes as she watched him now. 

He almost wished it was the disgust and anger from before. He could cope with that. He was used to that. 

He wasn’t sure what to do with that look, nor the blue that was starting to creep down her arm as she took off a few extra pieces of hair. 

_ The sooner they got to this damn Eridium mine, the better.  _


	6. A Shared Past

_ It wasn't that hard to notice that something had  _ **_changed_ ** _ since his father had returned from Elpis.  _

_ Long hours spent in his bedroom when he wasn't working, low conversations into an ECHOcomm. His attention drifting towards the device whenever he seemed to have a moment, tanned hands drumming against the kitchen island as he almost seemed to  _ **_glare_ ** _ at it.  _

_ Rhys was surprised he'd been able to notice anything, considering how sharply his health had declined around that point.  _

_ There was an unspoken statement in that pod on Helios, that Rhys was running out of time. What scant treatments his father could afford no longer worked, and unless there was some kind of miracle...well. No one wanted to consider that alternative.  _

_ He wondered how his father had been able to cope with it all.  _

_ Perhaps that's why  _ **_she_ ** _ had come into the picture. All porcelain skin and soft eyes, her touch gentle as she held Rhys’ arm and assured him that everything would be fine.  _

_ Glanced with something caught between concern and tenderness at his father, before she injected a bright purple liquid into Rhys’ arm.  _

* * *

 

Fiona woke in a groggy sort of daze, wincing as she rubbed the side of her neck. 

It felt odd to have her fingers brush against the short hair, taking a tendril and curling it around her finger experimentally. 

It took her a moment longer than she was proud of to notice that her...companion was  **definitely** the wrong word for him. 

Rhys was  _ still _ her captor, and she was  _ still _ his hostage.  _ Nothing _ had changed in that regard. 

Except she felt a certain panic when she noticed he was gone, shakily rising to her feet as she scanned the cave for the Pandoran. 

She turned towards the entrance, startled at the  _ relief _ she felt at finding him sitting there. Still fiddling with that ECHO, the parts spread around him in the dirt. 

Something bright caught her eye and she glanced at it, an involuntary gasp leaving her lips. 

She'd... _ forgotten  _ how beautiful a Pandoran sunrise could be, sharp reds in contrast to flickers of orange and violet. Setting the desert in a warm glow, part of it cast onto Rhys’ features as he worked. 

Highlighting the sharpness of his jaw, his metallic arm reflecting the bright colours as those mismatched eyes checked the horizon before he went back to work. 

“Rations are in the cave,” Rhys declared without looking at her. 

She went back into the cave, the fire pit charred and black as she kneeled down beside it. She noticed a few chunks of her hair were nestled amongst the synthetic fire-starter as she picked up the pack. 

She returned to see Rhys had set the ECHOcomm beside him. Palms flat against the ground as he appeared to be looking at the sunrise. 

He barely glanced at her as she set down the pack between them, reaching into it and pulling out his share. 

“Any luck?” Fiona asked, gesturing towards the ECHO. 

Rhys didn't respond, only chewing quietly. 

“Think you can get a new one?” Fiona tried again. “So we can get in contact with August?”

Rhys still didn't speak, his eyes on the horizon as he chewed and chewed. Almost like an Earth cow, something she saw in a video once. 

She took a bite of her rations, joining him in the chewing frenzy. Wondering why she was suddenly so  _ keen  _ to talk to him. 

Perhaps...no. No she didn't feel  _ guilty  _ about what had been said. She had an impression of him, she went with her gut, and...she'd turned out to be very, very wrong. 

Okay, so maybe she was a  **fraction** guilty. 

“I..I’m sorry, Rhys,” she murmured. 

Rhys’ eyebrows rose but he didn't say anything. 

“Should have realized Handsome Jack would screw over a Pandoran,” Fiona continued with a small, dry laugh. “Considering what he wanted to do to the planet...”

“Hyperion,” Rhys corrected, almost too quiet for her to hear. 

She shook her head as she let out less of a laugh and more of an exhale. 

“Why doesn't that surprise me?” She muttered as she watched the horizon. It was hard not to see the satellite nestled amongst all the colours, and she sighed. “Screwing over Pandorans and Hyperions, the Handsome Jack Experience.”

He barked out a laugh, surprising the both of them. 

“Get your tickets now,” Rhys murmured, a smile blooming on Fiona's features. 

“I..I really am sorry, Rhys.”

Rhys let out a long sigh, meeting her eyes. 

He opened his mouth as if to say something, before he closed it and turned back to the sunrise. 

“I know the damage Jack can do,” Fiona continued. “Trust me.”

“What? You get a deal for him and he claimed it as his own?” Rhys replied. 

“He...he took away my mother too,” she confessed. 

He looked surprised and she shrugged defensively. 

“What? You think you're the only one that can have a tragic past involving Handsome Jack?” She joked. 

He didn’t speak, only nodding for her to continue. 

“I...I was born on Pandora,” Fiona began, glancing at Rhys for his reaction. 

His eyes widened, but he nodded for her to keep going. 

“Raised here too, for a little while at least,” Fiona continued. “Stole, swindled, begged, did everything it took to survive.”

She scratched at the bite on her hand as she looked at the reds and oranges transforming into a soft blue as the sun slowly climbed into the sky. 

“It wasn’t...perfect, but for a little while, it was decent. Somehow convinced this con man to take care of me and my sister for a few years,” Fiona continued. “Had a place to sleep and eat…” 

“You don’t have to tell me this,” Rhys interrupted her. Their eyes met for a moment, lingering longer than was probably necessary, and it almost seemed as if Rhys was begging her to stop. 

She’d never quite liked when people begged. Even when she was doing it herself. 

“You gave me your life story,” Fiona replied with a shrug. “Seems fair I give you mine.” 

He looked genuinely surprised at the statement, and if Fiona was being honest she was a little surprised she was even willing to tell him. Anything she told him could be held against her at some point, and it was sheer idiocy to give it up willingly. 

“We were happy enough like that, the three of us,” she continued. “Till one day, our...Felix, he finds this woman just lying in the middle of the desert. Not moving, barely breathing, bunch of bandits trying to pick her apart.” 

As she spoke though...it felt...strangely cathartic to tell someone after all these years. Of going along with Handsome Jack’s tale, nodding despite the grimace on her lips as he clamped a hand on her shoulder and boasted of being the hero. Tightening it until she pasted on a grin. 

“We were going to keep driving, but something stopped us. We thought we had let our pity die a long time ago, and yet there we were. Fending off a group of bandits just to get to a woman who might already be dead.”

“But she wasn’t,” Rhys finally spoke, and Fiona nodded. 

“We practically had to drag her into the caravan and drive off as they chased us on foot,” Fiona continued, chuckling a little. “Sasha and I peeked out of the sunroof, and I just remember we were killing ourselves at how hard they were trying to keep up with us. Legs just pinwheeling, wailing away as we got further and further from them.” 

Fiona rubbed her eyebrow, removing her makeup to reveal a long thin scar that went through her eyebrow and down to her cheek.

“One of them somehow jumped onto the caravan. Was able to get a decent slice at me before Sasha shoved them off,” Fiona murmured. “I just remember how...stunned I was as Felix screamed at us to shut the door.”

She shook her head. 

“In some odd way, it didn’t strike me how dangerous Pandora was until that moment,” Fiona continued. “You’re a child, you don’t really...register much that you don’t think concerns you.” 

Rhys nodded in agreement, his metallic fingers running over a mark on the inside of his elbow. 

“My shock wasn't exactly helped either by finding her on the table, wires sticking out of her missing arm. Babbling out numbers between words about a Vault.”

Fiona felt Rhys’ eyes on her as she kept speaking, though she was curious about the sudden intensity. 

“We found a safe location before Felix spent hours patching her up. Saying we could sell her to Atlas for a good price, they were desperate for tech like her.”

“Tech?” Rhys asked in interest. 

“Android. Sasha and I were fascinated, she looked so  _ human _ and yet there she was, all  _ wires _ and  _ coding _ . We’d never seen anything like her before.”

Rhys kept his eyes on her, shifting a fraction closer to her, the ECHOcomm forgotten by his side. 

“None of us were quite sure what would happen once she woke up.  _ If  _ she would even wake up,” Fiona spoke. “Not that Felix seemed to mind either way. He’d sell her off regardless if she was functional or not.” 

Fiona leaned back a little as the sun climbed higher in the sky, a deceivingly serene blue settling over Pandora. 

“But wake up she did,” Fiona continued. “Took one look at Sasha and me, looked at Felix and then started asking how much he wanted for the pair of us.”

Fiona chuckled mirthlessly. 

“He cared about us, but he liked the money she could offer him a lot more. Turned out she had access to Hyperion funds, and suddenly, all those years didn’t seem to matter to him.” 

“What did she do with you?’ Rhys asked. 

Fiona smiled softly. 

“She took us off-planet. Snuck us into some Hyperion pod, told us not to leave until she said it was safe to go. Said she had something important to do first,” Fiona recalled, how her heart had hammered as she held Sasha close. Calculating how they could try to leave and go...where? Pandora was all they knew, and two little girls trying to sneak onto a Hyperion shuttle for Dionysus would be more than suspicious. 

Fiona drummed her fingers against her leg.

“We were there for a week before the door slid open. This...this man staring at us as the woman rushed in. Her hand on his arm as she mentioned a Vault, that he was getting everything he wanted. That pale hand going to his cheek, stroking it with her thumb before she kissed him.”

Fiona met Rhys’ eyes, noticing a hardness to them as it looked like he was almost vibrating. The markings on his clavicle began to flicker and she shifted away instinctively. 

“Handsome Jack,” he stated more than asked, and she nodded.

“She convinced him to let us stay for a few days, until she could get us somewhere else and then it would all be fine,” Fiona continued. “And then he just... _ smiled  _ at us and went, ‘No. No I think they’ll be fine just here babe.’”

Fiona shook her head at herself. 

“I should have just trusted my instincts. Grabbed my sister and ran. But...we were so hungry, and exhausted, that we stayed,” Fiona murmured. “And then by the time we could leave...we didn’t want to.”

Fiona shrugged a little. 

“Jack was...somewhat decent for a period of time. Addie...she seemed to know how to handle him,” Fiona continued, Rhys’ mouth set in a thin line. “She...shielded us for the most part from what was happening with him.” 

Rhys nodded impatiently, causing her to frown. 

“Once that Vault on Elpis opened though, it was almost as if she just...faded. She still cared for the pair of us, but...she didn’t try to hide who he was anymore. She had given up, and what began as feeble attempts to try and appeal to him just...stopped.” 

Fiona looked up at Helios, feeling a sharpness behind her eyes. 

“Didn’t take long for Addie to disappear after that. For Jack to claim she was fine when I knew she wasn’t,” Fiona continued, Rhys tensing. “He’d...he’d done something to her, and he knew that I knew that. He…”

She took a deep breath. 

“He  _ killed _ her. And he  _ knew _ that I would figure that out. But it was almost as if he didn’t  **care** . That he was  **confident** I could never stop him.” 

Fiona glanced at Rhys before her eyes went back to Helios. 

“You know the rest. Jack tried to cleanse Pandora, he failed, Helios fell into chaos,” she declared gently. 

He didn't speak, his markings flaring. 

“Everyone just clamouring to get to the throne and be  _ just like him _ ,” Fiona muttered, picking at the bite now. 

“Aren't you?” Rhys finally murmured. 

Her features hardened, her mouth opening to retort that in fact she  _ never  _ wanted to be like that  _ asshole _ , when Rhys continued. 

“You came down to Pandora to claim an Eridium mine for Hyperion, in exchange for...what? Money? Power?” Rhys murmured. 

Fiona couldn’t quite meet his eyes, feeling the heat in her cheeks. Pinned down all too well by some...some…

“It's…” she began defensively. 

“Sounds like a Handsome Jack move to me,” Rhys interrupted, his sigh weary as he stood up.“C’mon. We should get moving.”

He went back into the cave, picking up their belongings before he practically shoved the pack into her hands. 

“Would hate to impede the rise of  _ Gorgeous Fiona _ ,” he muttered, slinging the rifle across his back before he began to trek down towards the desert. 

She slung on her pack before she followed, plopping the hat onto her head as she raced up to him. 

“ _ You  _ haven’t….” she began sharply. 

Rhys turned on his heel quickly, stumbling a little as he stopped in front of Fiona. 

What Fiona lacked in height compared to the lanky Pandoran she  **more** than compensated for in the intensity of her glare. 

“Do you  _ know  _ what he used the Eridium mines for?” Rhys asked, his tone sharp. “Besides poisoning any Pandoran that came within ten metres of it?”

He leaned in close, eyes locked with hers. 

“I'm sure he  _ adored  _ speaking about how he was going to cleanse Pandora. Use a Vault Key to awaken an ancient beast, leave Pandora in ashes,” Rhys murmured. “But I'm guessing he never mentioned  _ how  _ he was doing it?”

He chuckled bitterly. 

“I mean, to any other Hyperion it wouldn't matter. She was a robot, she couldn't  _ feel _ , couldn't  _ scream  _ as Eridium was coursed through her,” Rhys continued, leaning in closer as Fiona's heart thudded in her chest at the realization. “All to power a Vault Key…”

Rhys smiled as bitterly as his laugh was. 

“You have to give him credit, he found a way to do it without a Siren,” Rhys muttered. “Not that it mattered in the end.”

He motioned towards her. 

“But, I mean, if you're so keen to continue his legacy, I can find her for you,” Rhys murmured. “ADI probably still has the programming. Hell, Hyperion might crown you for it considering how they've been searching for her…”

She felt herself beginning to shake, crossing her arms tightly as her eyes began to sharply prick. She tilted her head towards the ground, his boots coming into view. 

“Though it'll never be enough for them,” Rhys continued, his mouth close to her ear. “You know that, right?”

His breath was warm against her cheek. 

“Someone else will find a way to get rid of you, and all that hard work...all that effort...for nothing,” he mocked. 

She felt her arm grow warm, rapidly increasing in heat as her markings began to glow. 

“Do you know what I suggest?”

Her mouth set itself in a thin line as she glared up at him. Not caring as she felt tears spill down her cheeks hotly, not sure if she should wrap her hands around his neck or sink her nails into those handsome features of his. 

“Do the right thing,” Rhys hissed. “If..if you even cared a  **little** about her.”

“What makes you think I  _ didn't _ ?” Fiona retorted, wincing as the word cracked from her throat. 

She wiped at her eyes, the tears hot against her cheeks as she tried to stop them from falling. An amalgamation of relief that she was still alive,  _ somehow  _ still alive, anger at the fact she never stopped Jack when she could have….and the build-up of frustration with the damn man in front of her all poured into the tears spilling down her cheeks. 

She didn't know what to expect from the man in front of her, though mocking words and harsh laughs came to mind. Blame that she had done  _ nothing  _ to help the woman they both seemed to care about, that she  _ deserved  _ all this guilt and pain. 

The last thing she expected was for him to wrap his arms around her and awkwardly tug her to him. To rest his chin on the top of her head as  _ she  _ did the last thing she anticipated. Her arms too tight around his almost too-thin frame, his ribs against her fingertips as she rested her head against his chest. 

Something electric went through her frame and she jolted back, everything inside her buzzing as Rhys pulled out the ECHO from his front pocket. 

“Shit, thought I disabled this…” he began. 

“Rhys?” A familiar voice declared impatiently, coming out of the speaker tinnily. “Rhys?”

Fiona and Rhys both looked at the ECHO, their eyebrows high as Rhys experimentally pressed down on a button. 

He gritted his teeth as he jolted. 

“Y-yeah?” His voice came out shakily. 

“What's your progress?” August asked impatiently. 

Rhys looked hesitant before he pressed down on the button again, smiling in relief when nothing happened. 

“We’re about h-h-h-h,” he began before he was shocked again, vibrating as he tossed down the ECHO instinctively. 

Fiona watched as the device sunk into the sand, August’s impatient voice sinking along with it. 

Rhys clutched his head, groaning as a cackle bubbled out of Fiona's mouth. Rhys looked at her sharply, though one of his eyes had gone off to the side which only made her laugh harder. 

“What?” Rhys asked, his normal hand going to his face before a panicked look spread across his eyes. Well, the amber one at least. 

“ _ Shit, _ ” he snarled, banging the heel of his hand against the side of his head as he grimaced. “ **_Shit…”_ **

“W-what happened?” Fiona asked, her laughter making it hard to speak. 

“Stop  _ laughing _ ,” he snarled. “I...I can't  _ see…” _

He sounded desperate, almost panicked as he looked as though he was going to start clawing at his face with the one hand, the other limp at his side and the laughter died within Fiona's mouth. 

“Rhys…” she began, the man's actions becoming more and more frantic. “Rhys, calm down…”

His one eye was darting around frantically, the other faded as Fiona took a cautious step towards him. 

She reached out almost instinctively, her hand resting on his cheek. Her other hand clasping the other side of his face as she forced him to look at her. 

“ _ Rhys, _ ” she declared sharply, the one amber eye meeting hers. “What happened?”

“The...the ECHO must have short-circuited my cybernetics….” Rhys murmured. “I can't….I can't….”

He was breathing shallowly, Fiona's hands firm on his face as she leaned in close.

“How do you fix it?” 

“I….I don't  _ know _ , last time Gaige did it for me, and it's not like I have the  _ tools  _ to fix it myself, and  _ you're  _ not gonna know how to do it, and…” he rambled. 

One of her hands carded through his hair, and his stunned silence was  **nothing** compared to how Fiona felt at her action. 

And yet she repeated it, her eyes meeting his. 

“Then who can fix it?” She murmured. 

He opened his mouth to retort when a sharp sound ripped through the air. The pair turned towards the source, a veritable  _ herd  _ of cars and Skags barrelling towards them. 

“ **Fuck** ,” Rhys groaned. “Forgot about the Bandit patrols….”

“Bandit patrols?” Fiona asked as the cars got closer and closer. Trying to calculate how long it would take to lug Rhys back to the cave. 

There was a strange sort of sputtering and cracking before the first row of cars halted. There was a series of screams before the rest of the cars crashed into the front row, pinned behind the next row and the next until all that was left was charred metal and flame. 

The Skags scampered off with high pitched whines, the cars still crackling under the heat of the flames. 

Something flickered in the distance before a figure popped up in front of them, and before Fiona could blink they were sprinting up to Rhys. 

She realized she was still holding his face, dropping her hands as she stood in front of him protectively. 

“Move,” the figure barked at her, pitched too low to be natural. When she didn't move the figure let out a frustrated sigh underneath their hood. “He has minutes before the Eridium tries to mend his cybernetics. Trust me, it's not something you want to see…”

He scanned the distance, his gaze lingering before he turned his palm upwards. 

His thumb and forefinger moved towards his palm before something came screeching towards them. It was a truck, covered in paint and what almost looked like blood as a terrified bandit sat inside. 

They barely had time to register what was happening before the truck screeched to a halt, the figure sailing out of the sunroof. 

They continued to screech as they flew through the air, landing with a sharp crack and a wet thud. 

“Get him into the car,” the figure ordered Fiona, and she stared at him questioningly. “By the Eridians…”

The figure shoved past her, wrapping Rhys’ arm around his shoulders before he gently tossed Rhys into the vehicle. He hopped into the car, the hood shifting a little before he pulled it down over his features. 

He stared at her impatiently, and when she only stared back his tanned hands smacked against the wheel. 

“Well? You getting in kid or not?” The man barked. 

She glanced into the distance, seeing a group of Skags wandering towards the wreckage with curiosity. A few turned to stare at them, leaping onto the wreckage before they hopped down and began to run towards them. 

She awkwardly jumped into the car, scratching her leg as her side thumped against the seat as they drove off. 

She did her best to settle into the seat as Rhys let out a small whimper, the figure reaching back and stroking back his hair. 

“Shhh, shhh Rhys it's okay….” the man murmured. “It's fine, you're safe now…”

Fiona was sufficiently creeped out at the tenderness of the action, her skin crawling as she searched the vehicle for something sharp. 

Desert air whipped through the open windows, bringing in with it dust as Fiona and the figure both began to sharply cough. 

His hood whipped back as he struggled to close the windows, hand curled against his mouth as he let out a series of wracking coughs. 

Fiona glanced at him before she did a double-take, taking in the greying black hair, the mismatched eyes of green and blue. The long, familiar features. 

“Tim?” She asked in surprise, hundreds of other questions threatening to spill forth that were all stopped within moments as the man looked at her in sheer confusion. 

“Who's Tim?”


End file.
